Seemapuri collapse: Pregnant woman calls family for water from beneath rubble, dies in hospital

Four-month pregnant Gulafsa was going about her day at her parents' residence in Delhi's Seemapuri area when the apartment building came crashing down. Trapped beneath the rubble, she called for water and guided rescuers to her location, holding on for hours before she was pulled out and rushed to hospital, where she took her last breath.

The four-storey building in northeast Delhi's Seemapuri collapsed Wednesday afternoon, killing at least three persons including Gulafsa and a one-and-half-year-old toddler, and injuring eight, officials said.

Gulafsa, 21, Gudiya at home, was taking a shower on the second floor when the building collapsed, trapping her beneath debris, her relatives told PTI.

She managed to call a relative from underneath the rubble and tell them where she was, after which the family passed the information to those involved in rescue.

Her uncle Saleem said rescuers ascertained her location based on the floor she was on, and the information she had provided, before cutting through debris to reach her.

"She called from underneath the rubble and told us she was in the washroom.

"Based on what she told us, rescuers calculated the height of the second floor and were able to reach her. After that, they cut through debris and pulled her out. She was unresponsive at the time. It is a miracle we were able to reach her," Saleem said.

Gulafsa had been staying at her mother Salma's residence for the past one-and-a-half months during her pregnancy, a relative said. She had come there with her five-year-old son.

Gulafsa's relative Masoom said the family was extremely worried after receiving her call from beneath the rubble. She said Gulafsa's mother had managed to escape the collapse along with her grandson and son, but Gulafsa remained trapped under debris.

"Thankfully, Salma was able to get out with her grandson and son, but Gudiya was stuck inside. She called us and said she needed water -- her throat was parched. She had been under the rubble for a while and we were very tense. We were just hoping she would be brought out as soon as possible," Masoom said.

Gulafsa was eventually rescued and rushed to GTB Hospital, where she later died, family members said.

The family's grief was compounded by fears for others who could still be trapped inside the collapsed structure.

Masoom said several children regularly played around the building and the family feared that more could be trapped under debris.

"We saw a small child who was severely injured and his parents were extremely worried. We think few more children could be inside. We just hope they are also brought out safely," she said.

The body of a child aged around one-and-a-half years was pulled out of the rubble, officials said. Eight injured people, including a three-year-old child, were rescued and shifted to hospitals.

At the site, residents could be seen scrambling over piles of bricks and concrete, using their bare hands to clear away smaller pieces of debris as they searched for people trapped underneath. Some stood around the collapsed structure anxiously, calling out and listening for any response from beneath the rubble.

In visuals from the spot, locals and rescuers were seen working shoulder-to-shoulder, pulling out bricks and chunks of the collapsed structure. At one point, a group of people could be seen pulling a woman out from the debris and carrying her away in their arms.

Several people were seen crying and appearing distressed as the search continued. Excavators and other heavy machinery were brought in to remove larger piles of rubble, while paramedics and emergency personnel attended to those rescued and shifted the injured to hospitals.

The Delhi Fire Services received a call about the collapse around 3:30 pm and rushed fire tenders to the spot. Teams from the Delhi Police, Delhi Disaster Management Authority, National Disaster Response Force, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) joined the search-and-rescue operation.

According to police, the four-storey building was constructed on a plot measuring approximately 225 square feet. The MCD, however, described it as a three-storey structure in a 'jhuggi-jhopri' area spread over around 22 square yards in a DUSIB area near Idgah Machhli Mandi.

Officials are probing the cause of the collapse. The MCD said neighbours have claimed that cracks had appeared in the structure following tremors caused by an earthquake in Uttarakhand on Tuesday evening, and the building owner was in the process of vacating it.

The actual cause of the collapse is yet to be ascertained.

Heavy machinery, including excavators, remained deployed at the site as rescue teams continued searching the debris for anyone who could still be trapped underneath.